Adjustable table



3 Sheets-Sheet l i \WN Wm t 6 w a w M Emll M March 20, 1962 G. FREEMAN ADJUSTABLE TABLE Filed April 20, 1959 March 20, 1962 L. G. FREEMAN ADJUSTABLE TABLE INVENTOR. 15m: 6'. fin-Hum BY ww March 20, 1962 L. e. FREEMAN 3,026,158

ADJUSTABLE TABLE Filed April 20, 1959 3 SheetsSheet 3 United States Patent ()fifiee Patented Mar. 20, 1962 3,026,158 ADJUSTABLE TABLE Lewis G. Freeman, RR. 3, Kokomo, Ind. Filed Apr. 20, 1959, Ser. No. 807,493 3 Claims. (Cl. 311-19) The present invention relates to an adjustable table.

The objects of the present invention are to provide an improved adjustable table, to provide a table which is vertically adjustable and which may be swung downwardly into a hanging position in order to save space, to provide a table which may be set at any desired attitude or angle and height and to provide a table having great flexibility of adjustment. Further objects of the present invention will appear as the description proceeds.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying rawings and the following description and claims:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of an adjustable folding table embodying the present invention. I

FIG. 2 is a front elevation, having portions thereof broken away, of the table of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of a mounting element or device which forms a portion of the table illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a horizontal section taken along the line 4-4, in the direction of the arrows, of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of certain por tions of a table forming an alternative embodiment of my invention.

FIG. 6 is a front elevation of the structure shown in FIG. 5.

.FIG. 7 is a fragmentary top view of another alterna: tive embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary top view of a further alterna: tive embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a'detail end view of still a further alternative embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 is a side view of the structure of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary front elevation of another alternative embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary side view of the structure of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a detail front view of a washer forming a portion of all of the above mentioned embodiments of my invention.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. l-4, l have illustrated my invention as comprising a frame, indicated generally by the numeral 10, upon which is pivotally mounted a table 11 supported by a brace, indicated generally by the numeral 12. The brace 12 is adjustable as to length and, therefore, may be used to set the table 11 at any desired angle or attitude. Means, which will be described below, are used to pivotally connect the table to the frame 10 at any desired height and, therefore, such means may be used in combination with the brace 12 to set the table 11 at any desired attitude and height.

The frame 10 is made up of a pair of vertical members 15-15 fixed in spaced parallel relationship by cross braces 16-16. The cross braces 16 are provided with a plurality of apertures 17-17 whereby the table may be attached to a wall, up against a desk or table or to any other desired supporting structure.

Each vertical member 15 is formed with a vertical slot 18 and with a hollowed-out portion 19 which are so arranged as to make the horizontal cross section of the vertical member 15 a C-shape as illustrated in FIG. 4. A pair of bearing members 20-20 is attached to each vertical member 15 in such a manner as to cover the walls 21-21 of the slot 18 and the portions of the outside of the vertical member 15 and the portions of the hollowedout portion 19 adjacent the walls 21 of the slot. The primary purpose of the bearing members 20, which are metal, is to provide a metal bearing surface for the vertical members which are formed of wood. It is to be understood, however, that the various parts of the present invention may be constructed of any suitable material. Each vertical member 15 is also provided with a rubber foot 25 fixed to the lower end thereof.

Referring now to P16. 3, each upright member 15 has associated therewith a means for pivotally connecting the table 11 to the frame 10, each of which means comprises a hinge 29" having an aperture 28 through one leg 32 thereof. A washer 30 having a transverse dimension 39A (FIG. 13) greater than the width of the slot 18 is received within each hollowed-out portion 19 and has seated therein a bolt 31, the threaded portion of which extends outwardly through the slot 18 and through the aperture 28 in the hinge 29. A knob 33 is provided with a suitable threaded aperture for reception of the bolt 31 and may be tightened down so as to draw the leg 32 of the hinge 29 againstthe outwardly facing bearing surfaces 35-35 of the bearing members 2d so as to fix the hinge in any desired location upwardly or downwardly of its upright 15. v

A guide, indicated generally by the numeral 40, pro jects from the one leg 32 of each hinge into the slot 18 and functions to maintain constant the attitude of the one leg 32 of the hinge. The guide is made up of a screw 41 which is seated in a washer 42 and passes through a spacer 43 outwardly of the slot 18 into a suitable threaded aperture in the one leg 32 of the hinge. The spacer 43 is of such an axial dimension that the washer 42 is close to but is not in binding contact with the inwardly facing bearing surfaces 36-36 of the bearing members 20. Thus even though the hinge 32 is vertically adjusted and fixed in any desired position by releasing the knob 33 and by retightening the knob with the hinge in the desired position, the hinge will maintain its constant vertical attitude.

The other leg of each hinge 32 is fixed to the lower surface of a respective one of table supports 51-51, each of which is fixed to the lower surface of a rectangular table member 52, the supports 51 and table members 52 making up the complete table 11.

Each brace 12 comprises a pair of bars 57 and 58 provided with guides 59 and 60, respectively, which are fixed to their respective bars in such a manner (as is perhaps best shown in FIG. 2) that each bar and guide provides a cavity for the other bar whereby the bars are maintained in a parallel relationship. A screw having an enlarged knurled head 66 is received within a suitable threaded aperture in the base wall 67 of each guide 60 and functions, when it is tightened down, to hold one bar in any desired longitudinal relationship with respect to the other bar. A member 62 is fixed to each base wall 67 to provide additional bearing surface for the threads of each screw 65. Thus it can be seen that the length of each support 12 is adjustable and can be set at any desired dimension.

Each support 12 is detachably secured to a respective table support 51 by means of a bolt and wing nut 71, the bolt 70 passing through a suitable aperture in one end 68 of each brace 12. The other end of each brace 12 is secured to a respective upright member 15 by means of a bolt 72 and wing nut 73, each bolt 72 passing through the other end 69 of the brace 12.

It will be obvious from the above that the length of the brace 12 may be set at any desired dimension and the height of the edge of the table 11 which is attached to the hinge 29 may be set to any desired upward or downward location and that, therefore, the table 11 can be arranged at any desired height and attitude. By removing the wing nuts 71 and 73 and removing the brace 12 from the bolts 70 and 72 the table is made free to pivot into a downwardly hanging position adjacent the upright members 15 so as to save space. The braces 12 may 'be' hung on the screws 7575 (FIG. 2) when not in use.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, only such portions of an alternative embodiment have been illustrated that are different from the embodiment above described. A vertical member is identical to the vertical member 1 5 of the above described embodiment except that a cutaway portion 81 is provided at its lower end so as to allow a mounting element or device 80 to be assembled with the vertical member 15'. A washer 85 having a transverse dimension greater than the Width of the slot 18' is received within the hollowed-out portion 19' of the vertical member 15'.

I A bolt 86 is seated within the washer 85 in such a mannor that its threaded portion extends outwardly through the slot and the bolt passes through a suitable aperture in the main body 82 of the mounting element or device 80. The main body82 is provided with a pair of rectangu ar guides 8383 which project into the slot 18 and function to maintain constant the attitude of the main body 82 when the mounting device is raised or lowered to any desired position, A projection 88 extends from the main body 82 and has a suitable threaded aperture for reception of a knurled screw 89 for detachably fixing a support 12' to the mounting device 80.

The support 12 is identical in all respects to the support 12 with the exception that the aperture in the support 12' through which the knurled screw 89 passes is somewhat larger than the corresponding aperture in'the support 12. The support 12' is detachably secured to a table support 51', which is identical to the table support 51, by means of a bolt 70 and wing nut 71' identical in all respects to the bolt 70 and wing nut 71.

, From the above description it will be obvious that the alternative embodiment functions in a manner similar to the first described embodiment of the present invention. The alternative embodiment, however, does have more flexibility of adjustment. For example, the angle of the table and of the support 12' may be maintained constant even though the table is adjusted upwardly or downwardly.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate alternative embodiments which are similar to the above described embodiments except that the vertical wood members 15 and 15 and metal bearing members are replaced by steel members such as the member 15" in FIG. 7 and the member 15" in FIG. 8. FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate an alternative form of table support 51 which functions exactly as the table support 51 and might be used where it is desired to form the support of steel rather than wood. 29' represents a hinge similar to the hinge 29 of the embodiments above described, said hinge being fixed to the lower surface of the support 51'.

Referring now to FIGS. 11 and 12, an alternative embodiment is illustrated which incorporates one or more standard adjusting rods. In other words, the support 12 is a single bar having a fixed length. A plurality of such bars having various lengths may be provided to make possible changing the length of the support. This embodiment is similar in all respects to the embodiment of FIGS. l-4 with the exception that a cut out area 15A is provided in the vertical member 15"" to make possible proper aiignment of support 12"".

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the

same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive .in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiments have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims are also desired to be protected.

The invention claimed is:

'1. An adjustable table comprising a pair of upright, wood members each having a vertical slot and a hollowedout interior, a pair of metal bearing members attached to each upright member, each metal member covering one of the walls forming a respective slot and covering the portion of the hollowed-out interior and the portion of the outside of said upright member adjacent to the respective slot, a rectangular washer within each hollowed-out interior overlapping the slot thereof and held in a given attitude by the Walls of the slot, a pair of bolts each seated in and held against rotation by a respective washer and extending through said slots outwardly of said upright member, a pair of hinge each including a pair of pivotally connected legs, each hinge having one leg hanging downwardly from a respective one of said bolts, a knob threaded on each of said bolts for fixing said one leg of each hinge against respective bearing members, a guide projecting from said one leg of each hinge into a respective slot for maintaining a constant attitude of said one leg, each guide having an enlarged end received within its respective hollowed-out portion for retaining said guide in said hollowed-out portion, a table mounted at one edge upon the other leg of both hinges and swingable upwardly and downwardly, each of said bolts and knobs projecting from said upright members over said table, and a pair of elongated brace each detachably secured at one end to said upright member and detachably secured at the other of its ends to said table, said elongated brace being adjustable as to length.

l 2. An adjustable table comprising a pair of upright members each having a vertical slot and a hollowed-out interior, a rectangular washer within each hollowed-out interior overlapping the slot thereof and held in a given attitude by the walls ofthe slot, a pair of bolts each seated in and held against rotation by a respective washer and extending through said slots outwardly of said upright member, a pair of hinges each including a pair of pivotally connected legs, each hinge having one leg hanging downwardly from a respective one of said bolts, a knob threaded on each of said bolts for fixing said one leg of each hinge against a respective upright member, a guide projecting from said one leg of each hinge into a respective slot for maintaining a constant attitude of :said one leg, each guide having an enlarged end received within its respective hollowed-out portion for retaining said guide in said hollowed-out portion, a table mounted at one edge upon the other leg of both hinges and swingable upwardly and downwardly, each of said bolts and knobs projecting from said upright members over said table, and a pair of elongated brace each detachably secured at one end to said upright member and detachably secured at the other of its ends to said table, said elongated braces being adjustable as to length.

3. An adjustable table comprising a pair of upright members each having a vertical slot and a hollowed-out interior, a pair of bolts each having a head received in said hollowed-out interior and extending through said slots outwardly of said upright member, a pair of hinges each including a pair of pivotally connected legs, each hinge having one leg hanging downwardly from a respective one of said bolts, a knob threaded on eachof said bolts vfor fixing said one leg of each hinge against a respective upright member, a guide projecting from said one leg of each hinge into a respective slot for maintaining a constant attitude of said one leg, each guide having an enlarged end received within its respective hollowedout portion for retaining said guide in said hollowed-out portion, a table mounted at one edge upon the other leg of both hinges and swingable upwardly and downwardly,

each of said bolts and knobs projecting from said upright members over said table, and a pair of elongated braces ber and detachably secured at the other of its ends to said table, said elongated braces being adjustable as to length.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 590,872 Allen Sept. 28, 1897 593,828 Ank Nov. 16, 1897 701,666 Ank June 3, 1902 921,468 Scheibner May 11, 1909 1,232,874 Whealen July 10, 1917 6 Drapalik Apr. 9, 1918 Klein Dec. 8, 1925 Butt Mar. 9, 1926 Kruse Feb. 21, 1950 Kent Nov. 25, 1952 Watson Mar. 4, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS Switzerland Oct. 1, 1947 Austria Sept. 25, 1958 

